


Part Five: The Message

by Rambert



Series: Join Me [5]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst and Romance, Angst and Tragedy, Crying, Dirty Talk, Doomed Relationship, Emotional Sex, First Kiss, Gay Sex, Heavy Angst, Horn Stimulation, Kiss Kiss Fall in Love, Kissing in the Rain, Loud Sex, M/M, Men Crying, Neck Kissing, Nudity, Orgasm, Rain Sex, Separation Anxiety, Touch-Starved, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-10 22:54:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20143348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rambert/pseuds/Rambert
Summary: Aaravos's relationship with Viren grows, as does Viren's knowledge under Aaravos's tutelage. Then Viren's old life comes back to haunt him.





	Part Five: The Message

**Author's Note:**

> So this is part 5, aka the part where everything FINALLY gets porny... then sad... then porny again... then sad again. x) 
> 
> I love these angst tags tooooooooo much. 
> 
> This was largely written & edited to "Rest" by Michael Kiwanuka, from the incredible album Home Again https://youtu.be/k9GJfUma6aw  
As well as the same Nicholas Yee cello track referenced in the part 4 notes, "Slow Dancing In The Dark". https://youtu.be/P-iMzMkU-1U (sorry I don't know how to link things properly, help an old fogey out in the comments if you feel like it?)  
That Joji cover though, seriously... it makes me f e e l t h i n g s.  
If you catch feelings of any kind reading this, it's because of this music.

When Viren woke up in the late morning, for a moment after opening his eyes he thought he was still dreaming-- seeing stars was mesmerizing.

"Aaravos," he breathed, then noticed the elf was already awake and looking at him with soft eyes.

"Happy daybreak, Viren," Aaravos replied as he smiled at the mage in his bed.

Had it really been more than a _millennium_ since the last time the Startouch elf had woken up like this? It was a wonder he'd survived it.

Aaravos had woken up more than an hour ago, his body humming in contentment; he hadn't dared move too much, to try and get Viren to sleep in as long as possible. And it had been well worth it.

"Happy daybreak," Viren murmured in reply, then added boldly "I like saying this to you in bed, instead of out there."

"Me too," Aaravos admitted, grinning as his hand reached up to cup Viren's cheek, thumb tracing over his beard.

Viren squirmed away, laughing.

"Augh! That tickles, you know!"

"Ah, sorry, I cannot help it. Human face hair fascinates me, and yours is especially suited to your face," Aaravos said, making Viren laugh even harder.

"Wait, wait. Is that part of the appeal, then? If I shave, are you going to stop being interested in me?"

"No," Aaravos said, more seriously than Viren expected.

...He liked it.

Silence fell between them and Viren shifted closer again, laying his head on Aaravos's shoulder.

"...Do we _have_ to get up yet?"

"No," Aaravos said again, smiling this time as his arms came back around Viren once more.

"Good," Viren replied, snuggling into Aaravos and sighing in contentment.

Aaravos was so happy he could have wept.

At long last the ache of the possibility of never leaving this place, from the primal terror of being trapped outside everything he'd ever known that still lurked deep in his bones and psyche in the centuries since he'd supposedly "made peace" with his fate here... that ache was beginning to fade, now.

Viren had chosen this place... had chosen _him_. Only over death, but still...

The ex-High Mage had been checking the mirror less and less in the last couple of weeks for signs of his children. He wasn't doing it every day any more. Aaravos was starting to feel like... perhaps this was all meant to be. That he and Viren would be pushed together by some kind of force of destiny, to heal and grow from their violent pasts.

It certainly seemed that way; it was so easy to think that as morning sunlight filled the little room. When Aaravos had built this alcove onto the house, he'd put a window close to the roof so that the sun streaming in didn't get in their eyes-- perfect for lazy sleeping-in days, of which he enjoyed many already. But now Viren was with him, which made them infinitely more appealing.

They didn't get out of bed until the afternoon sunlight began to fade into overcast clouds. Viren finally professed stiffness from laying in the same position for hours and got up and stretched, wandering out into the main room nude before forgetting that his clothes were still in the bedroom.

He also wasn't used to sleeping fully nude again... that had been a wonderful experience to get re-acquainted with last night.

Aaravos followed him, grinning. He and Viren had grown accustomed to seeing each other shirtless over the last few weeks, but this was decidedly more intimate now.

"I could get used to this view of you," he said, raking his gaze over Viren and liking the way the man blushed from the attention.

"Yes well... you're not bad to look at either," Viren replied, giving Aaravos his own look as he passed back by to get his clothes.

"But I want to take a walk, to stretch out. And get some breakfast, or lunch, or whatever it is now."

Aaravos came back in to retrieve his own clothes, marveling at how _relaxed_ Viren seemed compared to when he'd first arrived.

"Sounds lovely," he said, and after they took turns using the outhouse and washing up they walked together around the island, hand in hand.

Viren had noticed that Aaravos seemed to want to be touching him as often as possible today, but didn't bring it up because he didn't want to make Aaravos self-conscious and stop.

It had been more than ten years since the last time Viren had been romantically intimate with anyone, but he couldn't even fathom what living for a _thousand_ years without it must have been like. And, the truth was... he liked it, a lot.

After walking a circuit around the island and a stop back inside for a hot lunch, Aaravos proposed they do some meditations laying down in the field today, indicating that the cloudgazing would be excellent as it was expected to rain later.

It was, and they idled over hour watching the thick fluffy clouds go slowly by and chatting before even starting their energy field connection practices.

And Viren was touched when Aaravos's gratitude mantras became _very_ personal today.

"I am grateful that Viren chose to come here and live out his borrowed time with me," Aaravos said with his eyes closed, both palms presssing into the earth.

"I am grateful that he wishes to be more than my student, but also my companion in life. I am grateful he is here with me in this dimension, that by some twist of fate we have ended up here together. I am... so very grateful to no longer be alone here," the Startouch elf continued, and his voice broke on _alone_.

After a moment of silence Viren rolled on his side and up onto his elbow, looking down at Aaravos.

"That's the first time you've said you're grateful to not be alone," he said pensively, and Aaravos's eyes opened, looking up at him.

"But I've been here a month."

"Yes, but now I am going to thank the energy fields for bringing you to me, each and every day," Aaravos replied, smiling up at Viren.

"For making me the happiest I have ever been, here. For choosing me. And I owe you an apology, for not doing it soonnnh--"

He was stopped by Viren leaning down and kissing him, tenderly. The shudder that wracked Aaravos's body from it broke their lips apart.

"Viren--"

"Sorry to interrupt but, I get the point," Viren murmured into Aaravos's chin.

"Can we do more of this instead?"

And he leaned in for another kiss, goosebumps flaring over his skin in pleasure when Aaravos moaned into his mouth.

Oh he had _missed_ this. Viren had nearly forgotten how good kissing could feel... the buzzing of the insects around them, the crashing of the waves, everything died away in his reality except for the soft, wet heat of their mouths pressing together to explore every bit of each other.

"Viren," Aaravos breathed, when they finally surfaced for air a minute later.

"Please, don't stop."

"Not stopping, just pausing," Viren said with a chuckle, and after he'd taken a couple of breaths his mouth found Aaravos's once more, already hooked on how soft the elf's lips were.

And the noises Aaravos was making were delicious.

But eventually he had to break away to breathe again, nuzzling into Aaravos's neck and relishing how it made the Startouch elf shiver.

"Mmm, you're so _sensitive_, Aaravos..." Viren kissed over the elf's throat, and Aaravos's breath hitched.

"Nn... wouldn't _you_ be, after a thousand years being alone?" Aaravos arched his head back, silently pleading for more.

"Probably," Viren conceded, continuing to kiss over the starry neck, nipping gently at Aaravos's earlobe.

"H-ah... you can keep doing that... forever," Aaravos exhaled.

"Do you want me to?" Viren breathed into Aaravos's ear, feeling very powerful in a way that had nothing to do with magic at all.

"I want whatever you'll give me, Viren," Aaravos answered, and Viren felt very primally possessive, all of a sudden, pulling his head up to look the Startouch elf in the face.

"And what if I didn't want to take it slow, any more?"

Aaravos looked up at Viren, his golden eyes burning with want.

"Then I don't want to any more, either," he rasped, and curled his hand around the back of Viren's neck to bring their mouths together in a heated kiss that broke and crashed back together like the waves around them.

How long they kissed, neither of them knew. But eventually Viren was straddling Aaravos, and the Startouch elf's hips rose to meet his thrust, making both of them groan from the sweetness of it. They rocked back and forth like that until both were fully hard, and finally Viren disengaged to get out of his clothes. Aaravos watched him, leaning back on one elbow.  
  
"You really do not wish to go back to the bed...?" he asked, gesturing back towards the house.

Viren shook his head, spreading out his overcloak on the ground and laying on it.

"Who's going to see us out here? Titania has made it a point to keep to themselves, lately."

Viren grinned, gesturing an awkward yet sincere 'come hither' gesture that made Aaravos snort with laughter as he took off his own clothes.  
  
"I can't deny, your eagerness is intoxicating," the Startouch elf murmured as he crawled over to Viren, kissing him once more.

Now Viren was on his back looking up at the grey sky behind the elf's head; when Aaravos's lips trailed down to his neck his eyes fluttered closed.

"Aaravos," he moaned, threading his fingers through the elf mage's silky white hair, and reaching up to touch the horns.

"_Yes..._ oh, stars above," Aaravos said hoarsely, groaning from the attention to his horns.

"Those are... especially sensitive..."

"They are?"

Viren was surprised by that, and he gripped one horn harder, squeezing it experimentally. He was rewarded to see Aaravos shudder, and he felt that thick starry cock pulse against his thigh.

"Wow, they are. I wonder how that works," he mused, letting go.

"We can discuss the logistics later," Aaravos gasped impatiently, reaching for Viren's cock and beginning to fist it roughly.

"_This_ is about on par with what it feels like, so please do not stop..."

"Aa_ah_!" Viren cried out, from the touch as much from that deep voice dripping heat into his ear.

Gripping both horns until his knuckles were white, he arched up into Aaravos's attention. It felt so _good... _Aaravos grunted above him, rutting into his hip as his head leaned into Viren's hands.  
  
"Ngh... _yes..._hah, run your fingers down them to the tips," Aaravos begged, and when Viren did it the golden eyes rolled back in his head as he shuddered.

"_Stars_ it's good..."

Viren felt so _hot_ all over, like he was baking in the noonday sun except it was cloudy. He thrust up into the elf's hand, barely even noticed the breeze picking up around them, or the rain-- wait, the rain? He let go of one of Aaravos's horns in surprise, blinking up at the sky.

Aaravos felt the rain drops on his back and let out a low laugh, but did not stop gyrating against Viren's leg or squeezing the human mage's cock, for he felt too good to want to stop now because of a little water.

"Looks like we should have picked the bed," he said, sucking at Viren's neck.

"A pity, but... I do not wish to stop now, Viren, please say you feel the same..."

Viren was gasping from the pleasure of Aaravos's dextrous hand on him too much to verbally reply, but he reached up to grab at Aaravos's horns again, feeling liquid heat pooling in his stomach at the noise Aaravos made when he did.

"Oh _yes, _Viren, just-- _ah_! Just like that..."

The rain pattered gently over them as they bucked and writhed together for wet, endless minutes, their ragged breaths lost to the increasing wind. Aaravos was trembling above Viren now, wet hair streaming down around them like a curtain, looking the most disheveled the human mage had ever seen him... and this was a look he could get used to seeing.

Then the Startouch elf's hand twisted in _ever _so wicked a way around his cock, and Viren twitched as he let out an involuntary noise of pleasure. His hands rubbed along the ridges on Aaravos's now-wet horns, and he felt Aaravos's breaths getting more erratic in his ear.

"_Viren_," came his name, exhaled in lust, and the human mage shuddered, gripping the elf's horns harder.

_No_ one he'd been with had ever said his name like _that_.

"Aaravos," he moaned back, feeling himself teetering at the edge.

"H-nnn, I'm getting close..."

Their bodies were slicker from the rain, now, and Viren touching his wet horns was driving Aaravos _wild_. The Startouch elf squeezed Viren's cock and pumped it faster, wanting the human to be the first to lose it but knowing he wouldn't be far behind.

"Yes... let go for me, Viren..." Aaravos sucked harder at Viren's neck, knowing he'd leave a mark and not caring. It was so _filthy_ doing this out here in the rain, mud already getting all over them as they moved, and he was so _close_...!

"H-ahh... Aaravos... I'mm_mmmahhh_!" Viren's back arched as he stiffened, cumming _hard_ all over himself and Aaravos. And as he did he reflexively squeezed harder on Aaravos's horns... which was enough to make the Startouch elf cry out in the agony of ecstasy, as his own release washed through him and his mess contributed to Viren's between them.

They lay together in the rain, catching their breath, shivering from the cold, and Aaravos felt so _alive_. Barely twenty four hours ago, he and Viren had been meditating, close yet so far apart. Now, he could not imagine having to be apart from the human even that much. Aaravos lay on top of Viren, shielding him from the raindrops.

"Mmn..."

Viren shifted underneath the elf, nuzzling into the crook of Aaravos's neck to get his face out of the rain.

"Guess we should get inside, huh," he murmured, and Aaravos laughed low in his throat.

"That would be the logical thing. I think the warm, dry bed is calling," he said, finally dragging himself upright and pulling Viren up with him.

They quickly gathered their clothes and ran back to the house naked, whooping and laughing in the rain. Titania had been inside by the fire, taking shelter from the rain -- they scoffed at the antics but not with meanness as Viren and Aaravos stumbled inside, soaking wet. It was a day that the Startouch elf would think about often towards the end of his life, as a reminder that he had felt true joy.

They ate some dinner in front of the fire, then showered together (another first) and tumbled into bed while still a little damp, too impatient to hold each other again and to press kisses over their freshly-cleaned skin. Those kisses became heated, and soon they were re-creating the arrangement they'd discovered out in the clearing, until they both came again gasping one another's names. And finally, sated and pleasantly exhausted after cleaning up, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

When Aaravos woke early again the next morning, he did weep. Tears spilled silently from his eyes as he watched Viren sleep, and when Viren woke and was worried Aaravos shook his head, unable to explain.

But he squeezed Viren's hand tightly in his own.

Viren understood that, not asking any more questions and instead pressing feather-light kisses to Aaravos's cheeks, eyelids, forehead and lips until the crying stopped.

\--

The next several months passed in a blissful blur, to Aaravos.

Never before had he wanted time to slow _down_ here, but with Viren he found himself savoring every moment, not wanting to let it go. Each day was a blessing, from the way he'd almost always wake up to Viren's snoring in the early morning, to the way he would try now to diffuse Viren's frustrations at hitting walls in his teachings with kisses, to the fact that Titania hadn't treated either of them any differently for being together now-- the truest sign of respect that Aaravos could have asked for from a friend.

The weather grew cooler and cooler at night. The island didn't really experience 'winter' on this planet, but, there was a cold and hot season based on the direction of the planet's axis. They planted cabbages and root vegetables in the garden, using up the last of the tomatoes and summer squash. Aaravos taught Viren how to pickle and preserve foods using a bit of magic to ensure that no spoilage would occur, and Viren taught Aaravos how to knit (the one thing he'd learned from his mother as a child), and together they made a new blanket for the bed.

Every morning, now, Aaravos rose before Viren, pressing a gentle kiss to his lover's forehead before going out to the clearing to meditate and give thanks. He often cried, out there alone in the cold dawn, the sheer reality of his situation overwhelming him with gratitude. He had been banished to eternal isolation for his crimes against the Xadian empire, yet someone had not only joined him, but loved him-- it felt like he had gotten his life back despite it all. His heart felt fit to burst from joy and relief.

Then he would crawl back into bed with Viren, and most mornings they would linger in bed for at least an hour after waking, just... kissing and pawing at each other and laughing at the silliest things. Sometimes they would find release in each other's bodies-- but apart from trying (and very much liking) oral, they hadn't really explored other ways to have sex yet and well... neither seemed inclined to rush into it. Aaravos was never in a hurry any more to get the day started but eventually Viren would protest, saying they couldn't just canoodle the day away in bed.

Aaravos always mock-pouted at that.

But really, the only reason Viren could stand to pull himself away from the bliss that was Aaravos's bed was the ever-present desire to go back to his children, and to his homeland.

The ex-High Mage only checked the mirror once a week now just for his own shelter from the constant disappointment, but he hadn't given up hope that Claudia would be told about the dungeon runes upon her return to Katolis. It was dangerous to allow this kind of fantasy, but he had even begun hoping that one day he could introduce them to Aaravos and they could be a family together. He hadn't told Aaravos this, only because he didn't want to make the elf feel guilty if it never happened. But he couldn't help wishing for it.

Because, here with Aaravos, Viren was the happiest he'd ever been. As his face grew less pale from spending more time outside, and his beard grew long and his eyes bright, he felt somehow ages younger than he had just a few months ago. Even in his youth with Harrow at his side, or on his wedding day, he had not been this content with his life.

Aaravos had even made him a staff-shaped walking stick -- it didn't help with magic casting, because Aaravos had explained he wouldn't need one any more, but it was a thoughtful gesture nonetheless. Whenever Viren walked around the island with it, he smiled to himself as he realized just how much he had changed here, and how happy he was to be given a second chance at life.

\--

Viren now knew how to "plug in" to the energy fields just by thinking about it, rather than having to wait for hours to make a connection.

The human mage was still having trouble with the channeling part, though, and would still get angry at himself for not making progress fast enough. Aaravos tried to reassure him by saying his rune work was good, but Viren was tired of relying on runes.

"I've been reading this incantation sequence and the footnotes to the instructions," he said one evening as Aaravos was washing up from dinner-- they took turns, now, rather than each washing their own dish every night. Viren was sitting at Aaravos's desk, looking at the spellbook that had the dimensional barrier leap using the mirror as a point of entry and exit.

"It's not possible to actually sign all the runes fast enough by hand, is it?" he asked, waiting for Aaravos to turn his head before continuing.

"You say my rune work is good but you can't even _use_ runes for this!" he cried, exasperated.

"Why butter me up when I'm not even learning what I need to...?"

Titania, who had been sleeping by the fire, leapt up and trotted out the door.

_Bye boys, have fun bickering,_ they said, swishing their tail as they made an exit.

Viren ignored them, staring him down, and Aaravos sighed.

"Viren, if you didn't have such a strong background in rune magic this would have taken you _years_ longer to get the kind of results you're getting," the Startouch elf said as he dried the last clean dish, then his hands.

"Have I not told you already about Elarion, how she too struggled for years to grasp all this? She had far less magical training to start with than you Viren, and just as much fire. Yet she also had patience, and she persevered and produced results beyond my wildest dreams once she had mastered the craft. Can't you just accept that this is something that requires time? I thought you said you were understanding this ancient Dark Magic," Aaravos continued.

"You must be patient, and trust in the process."

"Yes well, it's been five months now since I vanished from Katolis."

Viren's fingers drummed on the desk.

"Regardless of what happened with the princes, I'd imagine Claudia or Soren will be making their way home soon, if not already. I have to be ready to act quickly."

"Viren... my love, you have said that every week for the past two months," Aaravos said, as gently as he could-- but it was still enough to anger Viren, who stood up abruptly.

"And? It's still true!" he cried, feeling his hands ball into fists.

"Show me how the incantation is done, Aaravos. Show me how it's supposed to look again."

"Viren... no. Not tonight."

"What do you mean, not tonight?!"

"I mean, you are trying my patience and I do not wish to give you more reasons to snipe at me, for being innately better at you at something I've lived centuries longer to perfect," Aaravos said, crisply.

"You _will be able_ to learn the incantation, Viren-- _with time_."

"Well..." Viren could tell that Aaravos was angry with him for picking a fight, and almost shot something inflammatory back out of habit, but-- instead he took a deep breath to calm himself, and said "I'm... I'm sorry, Aaravos. I'm just... worried."

"...I know you are," Aaravos replied, sighing as he walked up and stood behind the chair Viren was sitting in, leafing his starry fingers through his lover's hair.

"Just trust me... please," the elf mage murmured, and Viren sighed softly below him.

"I do trust you, Aaravos. But I don't trust myself."

"Well, I do, so if you trust me then you should trust my judgment," Aaravos said, pressing a kiss to Viren's ear and smiling when the human mage made a soft noise of pleasure from it.

"Nn... good point," Viren conceded, turning his head to catch Aaravos's chin, kissing it and trying to tilt up into the Startouch elf's mouth.

"I'm sorry for trying your patience. Can I repay you in kisses?"

"Hmm..." Aaravos pretended to think it over for a few moments.

"Yes," he finally answered, and leaned in to let Viren make good on his offer.

\--

One evening while Aaravos was out foraging for wild mushrooms for dinner, Viren was casting about for something to do to wait for him. Titania had left also, preferring to hunt at night, and finally in his boredom Viren decided to check the mirror again.

It had been more than six months since he'd been summoned here, more than a week since the last time he'd taken the cloth down and stared at the runes he'd left on the dungeon wall, and at the ever-decreasing guard presence in the room. But he suddenly felt the urge to check, now while Aaravos was gone.

When he'd extinguished the fire and was alone in the darkness, Viren pulled the thick cloth away... and gasped.

There was another line of runes under the ones he'd initially cast with Aaravos, similar but not exactly the same-- runes always looked a bit different depending on the caster. And there was no sign of any guards either.

Viren's heart thumped in his chest, a mix of hope and panic.

Had Claudia figured out how to leave a message in response for him? ...There was only one way to find out, of course.

He should have waited for Aaravos, he knew, but Viren's selfish nature took over as he immediately began tracing the runes with shaking fingers, trying to keep his voice from shaking also as he spoke the incantations.

When the last one was completed a burst of light shot forth from the mirror, illuminating the room briefly before a familiar voice filled it.

"...Dad? Dad! I'm not sure if you can hear me, but, I found the spell I think you used and I finally got it to work now..."

"Claudia!"

Viren sank to his knees, wanting to sob from hearing his daughter's voice for the first time in over half a year. But he didn't want to miss a second of this just in case it could not be replayed, so he choked back his emotions and listened.

"Did you get it, Clauds?" the ex-High Mage heard Soren ask, and Viren's arms wrapped around himself as he listened to the voices of his children, desperately wishing he could hold them.

"Yeah, I think so. I think it's sending the message now," Claudia said, Viren heard the slap of hands as Soren high-fived her.

"All right Clauds! So... what do we say, again?"

"Allow me, brother. Ahem. Dad... we got your message. And... I just want you to know, and I think I can speak for Soren too, that... we don't hate you. But you were right, about Dark Magic. I've been doing some research since getting home three months ago with King Ezran-- that's too long a story to go into now, sorry-- and I found out who Aaravos is," she said slowly, making Viren unsure of whether or not that was a bad thing.

"All the books we had here were... enchanted, somehow, to disappear any mention of him, but I talked to the Moon nexus guardian, Lujanne. She said he was imprisoned for going against the natural order of magic, but... if he's anything like you, Dad, I think he's just misunderstood. So I went to the Duren archives, where all the oldest human books are kept, and did some research on Dark Magic. I found out about a mage named Elarion, who was Aaravos's pupil.

Did you know she wrote whole books about what he taught her, Dad? I didn't read it all, but... what I read was illuminating. The Dark Magic he taught her is... totally different from what we learned. But the Xadians still didn't accept it. Sol Regem sentenced her to death, just for insisting that Dark Magic could be used in conjunction with Primal Magic. So then Elarion's disciples, they grew... more regressive, after she was murdered. You can tell in the way they wrote about her unjust death, and what their manifesto was going to be after that. That's when Dark Magic principles began shifting into what you learned, and what you taught me. Because of the rift between humans and elves."

Viren heard Claudia sigh, and then heard his son's voice.

"You okay, Claudia? You want me to talk for a while?"

"If you'd like to, Soren. I just... don't even know if this is working."

"I'm sure it is," Soren said encouragingly, and Viren could picture him placing a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder.

"You're super smart, Clauds, just like Dad. You can do this."

"...Thanks, Sorbear," she murmured, then took a deep breath and continued.

"Okay. Dad, if you're still listening, I need to tell you about the spell I found. A spell that can bring you back."

And now, Viren froze. She found _what_?

"I found this summoning spell in one of Elarion's disciple's books. One that's specifically to summon humans from another dimension," Claudia clarified, and Viren's heart suddenly sank.

So this was a spell only for _him_ to get back? What about Aaravos?

"I know what you're thinking," Claudia said, and Viren shook his head.

_No, daughter, you likely do not_.

"But I found a loophole, for when you get back here. They can imprison you for up to fifteen years, for what you did to all those guards and for attempting to sow political dissent among the four kingdoms. But I've talked to the Pentarchy to make a deal, and... if you promise to become an arbiter for this new-- well, no, old-- style of Dark Magic, to teach people the ways that Aaravos taught Elarion, then... your execution order will be destroyed, and you'll be allowed to begin teaching at the palace while serving your time, and with good behavior your sentence could be reduced. You can come back, Dad."

"Claudia's worked really hard on this, Dad, traveling everywhere and barely sleeping and talking to everyone about you and this Aaravos character," Soren piped up, and Viren realized absently that tears were rolling down his face.

The ex-High Mage's children were working together like he'd never dreamed possible, and he couldn't even be there to congratulate them on their efforts and success.

"I know it's not ideal for you to be in prison for a while first, but, we miss you," he said, and Viren let out a strangled sob. He couldn't help it.

"Yeah... please get back to us soon, Dad," Claudia added, her voice impossibly sad.

They were still just children, after all, and they had already lost their mother.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Dad," Soren said.

"I'll be checking this room daily, to wait for your reply. Take your time to think it over, I'm sorry this is the only solution I've found, but... please let me try to bring you back."

Then he heard her shuffling with book pages, and casting the "end-spell" rune, and there was another burst of purple light... then the room was silent once more, in the near-pitch-dark of the night. As Viren sat stunned on the floor, unmoving, his eyes became accustomed to the moonlight from the two moons, providing scant visibility.

And when the ex-High Mage finally looked up, that's when he noticed Aaravos was glowing in the dark over by the door, and flinched.

"H-how long were you standing there?"

"Long enough," Aaravos said, his voice rough. Had the elf been crying, too?

"You have smart children," the Startouch elf continued, crossing to the mirror to put the cloth over it before conjuring a fire back in the fireplace.

"And they are right, of course -- you belong with them, and your people. You can pay back your debts to society in the way that your ancestors should have long ago."

Aaravos's voice and movements were... stilted, and Viren could tell by now that the elf was extremely upset and trying badly to hide it. He never got this way unless he was remembering painful parts of his past, that he did not wish to discuss with Viren.

Now though, Viren could imagine what part of all this was upsetting Aaravos... the part where Viren would leave, and Aaravos would be alone here once more.

"...I haven't made up my mind what to do yet," he said stubbornly, even though he couldn't imagine saying no to his children.

"Of course. But when you decide to return to them, it will be the right decision," Aaravos said quietly, refusing to meet Viren's gaze.

"So that's it? You're not going to try and talk me out of this?" Viren asked, wiping the tears from his face with a rough brush of his sleeve.

"Why would I do that?" Aaravos replied, sighing sadly.

"The spell I was going to have us attempt is extremely risky. It would be much safer for you to be summoned back like you were summoned in the first place. And if Claudia has found a human-specific spell from Elarion's disciple's book, then I would trust that would work far better than my transcription, from memory, of an ancient elven summoning spell."

"But what about _you_?" Viren blurted out.

"Why are you pushing down how you really feel about this, Aaravos? I know you're upset!"

"And why wouldn't I be?" Aaravos's voice was suddenly so low and dangerous that Viren nearly shivered in fear, a visceral physical response.

"Not even a whole year of your company do I get to enjoy, and now you will be summoned back to your old life, and will forget me. I will be alone in my banishment once again. It must be what I deserve, clearly. I have not been thankful enough for the Universe to allow me to hold onto you."

"..."

Viren stood up, crossing to Aaravos and holding him tightly despite the elf bristling in his arms.

"...Do you really think you are that easy to forget?" he asked, reaching up a hand to thread through Aaravos's long white hair.

His forehead found his lover's, and he felt Aaravos's trembling and realized the elf mage was crying.

"Aaravos... you are the only reason I _have_ this second chance at my old life," Viren murmured, nuzzling his face into the glowing one of the Startouch elf, not caring that Aaravos's face was wet with tears.

"You helped me discover the real roots of the magic I claimed to be an expert of. I never would have become a better person if it wasn't for being here with you. And... even if none of that had happened, being with you... has made me happy," Viren continued, and as those words left his mouth he finally felt Aaravos's arms around him, holding him desperately tight.

"Viren... p-please don't leave me," Aaravos begged, squeezing his eyes shut even as more tears forced their way out.

"I couldn't bear it if you left me. I would r-rather die."

"Shh... we have time to think about this and find a way where we can both get out," Viren insisted, hoping that wasn't just an empty platitude.

"I'm _not_ leaving you alone here, Aaravos, even if it means never going back."

"You d-don't mean that. What about your children? Your homeland?" Aaravos asked miserably, his voice thick with tears like Viren had never heard it.

"You can't s-stay here when they need you there."

"I get to make that decision for myself," Viren said boldly, though at this point he really wasn't sure how he was going to.

"I'm _not_ leaving you behind, Aaravos... ...I love you," he added, and felt the elf's shaking still suddenly in his arms.

"...What did you say, Viren?"

Aaravos sounded... tentative. Almost as if he was afraid he had misheard the human mage, and didn't want to react yet until he had confirmed it.

"I said, I love you, Aaravos," Viren murmured, framing the Startouch elf's face with his hands and kissing him, gently but insistently.

"I love you too," Aaravos exhaled as soon as the kiss broke, and there was... something swirling in the depths of those golden eyes.

Something that took Viren's breath away.

"I love you to the moons and back," the elf added, leaning his forehead on Viren's.

"And beyond."

"So then... trust me, Aaravos. Trust that _this_, between us, is the most important thing in this or any dimension," Viren said, reaching up to gently wipe his lover's tears away.

Aaravos nodded, feeling utterly exhausted from this sudden emotional turmoil. The mushrooms he'd harvested sat forgotten in their basket by the door, and he was not hungry for dinner now at all.

"I... I confess, the only thing I wish to do now is go to bed with you," he said, leaning into Viren.

"That... sounds like a fantastic idea."

They undressed and got into bed, holding each other tight, and they both cried more as the situation threatened to crush them. Viren kept murmuring reassurances into Aaravos's ear, that he would stay with the Startouch elf forever, that he would never leave him. And Aaravos... needed that, desperately.

"I love you," Viren said for the dozenth time that night, and it was still music to Aaravos's ears, better than first hearing Viren's voice through the mirror had been.

"I love you too," he whispered back, squeezing Viren's hand in his.

Finally the Startouch elf felt his heartbeat slowing from the sheer panic it had gone through earlier.

Viren nuzzled into his neck, kissing Aaravos's ear.

"I missed you, tonight... I only looked at the mirror to find something to do while I waited for you."

Oh, how Aaravos wished he had picked another night to forage. But, he knew, that would have only delayed the inevitable. His long, starry fingers leafed through Viren's hair.

"I miss you every moment you are not in my arms," he sighed, pressing a kiss to Viren's forehead.

"You are... my everything, Viren. My suns, my moons... my stars."

Viren didn't make a reply, except to kiss him. At first it was chaste and comforting, but soon Aaravos was clutching Viren tightly, unable to let go. And Viren sensed it, could feel that need for a _connection_, and suddenly... he knew what he wanted.

"Aaravos," he whispered in the dark.

"I... I want you to make love to me. Properly this time."

"Was what we were doing before not 'proper'?" Aaravos asked, trying to be his usual coy self, but something went wrong in the delivery and he just ended up sounding a little upset.

Viren just kissed him again, softly, knowing that they were both too emotional for their usual level of banter.

"Shhh. No jokes tonight... I want you inside me," he breathed into Aaravos's ear, and felt a flush of heat go through him at the way the Startouch elf shivered in response.

"I must admit, I have... thought about it, recently," Aaravos replied, golden eyes glowing in the dark as they looked back at Viren.

"It has been... many centuries, but I believe I still remember a thing or two."

"Can you show me, then?" Viren asked, pressing his body against his lover's.

"Please, Aaravos..."

"How can I resist, when you ask so prettily?"

Aaravos was feeling a bit more like himself again now that Viren had stoked his desire.

He drew Viren in for another kiss, but this time when the elf pulled away he snaked his fingers up into Viren's mouth.

"Suck them..."

Viren did so enthusiastically, and Aaravos licked his lips at the debauched display.

"Mmm, thank you, my love..."

When they were sufficiently wet he moved his hand down to Viren's ass, spreading the cheeks apart and pressing against the ring of muscle.

"It will feel... strange, at first," Aaravos said, trying to describe it.

"Your body will need some time to adjust before it can feel this pleasure, because you are not used to it. If it hurts, please tell me, but if it just feels odd, try to bear with it... I promise it will be worth it," he assured, and Viren nodded.

"I trust you, Aaravos... if you say it's good, then it will be," the human murmured into his lover's jaw.

Aaravos pushed one finger inside. At first Viren's little twitches and noises were more from surprise than pleasure, but after a few minutes of Aaravos's long finger twisting around inside, he found the little bump that contained all the nerve bundles and slowly rubbed against it.

"A-_ah_!"

Viren jolted, so forcefully he knocked his head against the Startouch elf's.

"Ugh, sorry..."

But Aaravos was laughing despite the brief shock of pain.

"Did I find it, then?" he asked, kissing Viren's neck.

"There's a _spot_ in there, that feels very good when touched directly..."

He found it again, and when he rubbed it he was delighted to hear Viren moan openly.

"What... a_aaah_... what is that..."

Viren was writhing now, pushing himself onto Aaravos's finger, and the elf added a second one in.

"That, Viren, is your prostate. So pleased I could acquaint you to it," Aaravos said, grinning as Viren moaned again from _two_ fingers touching him there, with more girth and force behind than just one.

"Aaravos... it feels good," Viren gasped.

"Please... give me more..."

"Oh, we're just getting started, Viren."

Aaravos fumbled around for the jar of oil that they had only thus far used to give each other back massages and hand jobs with-- often in that order. Within minutes the progression had led to all four of Aaravos's oiled fingers sliding in and out of Viren's ass, and the human mage was hard and leaking, begging Aaravos to fuck him.

"P-_please_," Viren moaned, thrusting his hips back, trying to get more of that delicious friction inside him.

"A-_aaravos_... please fuck me, oh _please_...!"

"You are... irresistible like this," Aaravos breathed, taking a moment to savor this view of his needy lover before giving in to both of their desires.

"This is going to be a lot more intense than the fingers," he said, withdrawing them from Viren who made a _most_ displeased sound when they did.

"Just a moment, lover," the Startouch elf murmured as drizzled oil on his hard cock, and fisted the slickness over himself.

Aaravos hissed softly as he throbbed from his own wet touch, ready to _fuck._

"Nnnnh... are you ready for this cock, Viren?" he asked, and Viren let out a needy whine.

"Yes, please, I _need_ it Aaravos... I'm so ready, _please_ fuck me..." Viren had never wanted anything more in his _life_.

"Your desire is my command," came Aaravos's husky reply as he lifted Viren's hips a little and positioned himself between the human's legs, pushing the head of his cock at the tip and starting to slide inside, slo-_oh-_owly... and fuck, it was so _hot_!

Viren stiffened up, wincing. This was... _much_ larger than fingers, and... it _hurt_.

"A-Aaravos," he whispered, embarrassed, and his lover immediately stopped not quite all the way inside, hearing the difference in the way Viren said his name.

"Mh, it's all right, Viren... I won't... nn... move until you say so... let yourself adjust to it..."

Aaravos couldn't help licking his lips. Viren looked _so_ good like this... and Aaravos trembled with the effort of holding his hips at this angle, but it would be worth it not to rush this. He'd waited a _thousand years_... what was another minute?

Viren was still feeling a little throbbing, but... the way Aaravos seemed to be barely restraining himself was... _very_ alluring.

"Does it... feel good, Aaravos? Inside me?"

"_Yes_," Aaravos groaned, moving a pillow out of the way of his horns so he could kiss at Viren's throat.

"Stars above, Viren, your hot ass feels _so_ good around my cock right now, and it'll feel even _better_ once we eventually get moving..."

Viren shivered, and realized that the pain had finally subsided. He wanted to feel what Aaravos was feeling... he reached up, curling his fingers in that silken hair.

"Please... please move," was all he could say, overwhelmed with the newness of the sensation.

Aaravos did, gently at first, and as he slid all the way in Viren let out a very high-pitched moan, and laughed breathlessly.

"A_aah_! Ow..."

It was so _intense_...!

"It's all right, lover," Aaravos reassured him, exhaling as he paused again.

"The first time is always like this, we just have to be patient and let your body adjust..."

For a few breathless moments they just looked at each other. Aaravos couldn't stop looking at the blush on Viren's cheeks.

Then Viren framed Aaravos's face in his hands, pulling him gently down into a soft kiss.

"I love you so much," the ex-High Mage said, and realized he had never meant it this much in his whole life.

"I love you too," Aaravos said back, kissing over his eyelids.

"For all eternity, Viren, you will have my heart."

After a few moments, Viren tried shifting his hips and moaned at how _full_ he felt. Little by little, they began rocking against one another, Aaravos beginning to move and change angles a bit inside.

"Oh god," Viren gasped, when their hips connected in a way that finally rubbed Aaravos's hot, heavy length against that spot that felt _so_ good.

"Mmmn... is _that_ where you need it, Viren?" Aaravos asked, his voice going lower as his own arousal overtook him.

"Y-_yes_," Viren cried out, seeing stars that weren't from his lover's body, flashing across his field of vision.

"Oh _god_, A_aravos_!"

"Yes, _yes_," Aaravos growled, plunging into that deep wet _heat_.

"Oh _stars_, Viren, you feel so _good_."

Within minutes Viren was practically _screaming_ on every thrust, so guttural and loud were his cries, but he couldn't stop. Aaravos's cock was tearing him apart, in the _best_ way.

"A_aagh_... A-Aaravos... _haaaah_...!"

The friction inside was so _hot_... that huge cock sliding in, and out, and back in deeper, then out, then _deeper_ in, _oh yes_...

Aaravos let out a string of Elvish that sounded like bitten-off curses, and Viren just felt _hotter_ knowing that the Startouch was so turned on he was forgetting the common tongue... that had never happened before.

"Aaravos... p-please... _harder_," Viren gasped, and was rewarded with Aaravos lifting both his knees, so that the human's legs were over the elf's shoulders.

Now he was bent even further apart as Aaravos increased the pace, still growling something in Elvish, and Viren was delirious.

"Yes... y-_yes_... a_aaaah_!" Viren felt like he was on _fire, _but it was good, so good he was going to explode...

"_Viren_... I'm c-close," Aaravos switched back to common to groan out.

"Cum... with me..."

His movements grew faster still in the final stretch, and Viren felt the pressure inside him building as Aaravos's thick cock hit that spot inside again... and again... and _again_.

He realized that he hadn't even touched his throbbing cock yet... but when he did, it was all over. Squeezing frantically, he felt himself tumbling over the edge, the giddy too-good feeling rising deep in his stomach as release was upon him.

For a few seconds Viren tried to savor it, to stay forever in this feeling of unbearable pleasure, but already his body was tensing, ready to blow. Aaravos's cock was destroying him, hitting that spot over, and _over_...

"Haaa_aaaaAaravos_!" Viren screamed, the pulsing shockwaves of orgasm wracking his body and leaving him boneless.

"Hrrr_rrghaah_!"

The human mage heard Aaravos grunt sharply above him and stiffen in his own climax, and Viren gasped as Aaravos's cock twitching inside him triggered a big aftershock.

"H-nnnh..."

Viren shivered, suddenly feeling... very vulnerable. Even with Harrow, the so-called love of his life, he'd never done anything close to... _this_. And before he'd even caught his breath, he was pulling Aaravos down on top of him, needing to be close and be held.

"Don't let me go," he whispered, and he felt Aaravos shiver, in response.

"Never," came the reply into his hair, and Viren held onto Aaravos too tightly.

Aaravos didn't stop him.

\--

A long while later after more crying, declarations of love, and eventually cleaning up, Viren was snoring softly on Aaravos's chest as was the usual.

But Aaravos lay awake for hours, far from reassured about the state of their relationship. His glow from the amazing sex hadn't lasted and now he felt surly and in a foul temper.

How _dare_ the world take his love away from him, when Viren had only just arrived here! How _dare_ it!

Aaravos had been grateful _every day_! For months! Why hadn't that been enough?!

It wasn't fair. None of Aaravos's life had been fair, and this was just one more injustice the elf was being made to face. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he knew...

He knew that Viren would have to leave him.

And he was not sure he would survive it.

Of course, Viren had promised that as soon as he was back on "his side" of the mirror, that he would work on freeing Aaravos. But the problem was, Aaravos had been hoping Viren would be here for years before feeling compelled to go back. Because that's how long it would take him to master the summoning spell.

And if Viren returned to his world, even if he was allowed access to the mirror and had time during his imprisonment and forced community teaching to see him... who was to say he wouldn't just get frustrated with a lack of progress and give up on summoning Aaravos? Or be distracted by some_one_ else?

They wouldn't be able to touch for a single second, through the mirror. What if Viren forgot what it felt like to be held like this...?

And after all that... if they chose to go back to that dimension, Viren would die before Aaravos anyway. Here in this dimension, he could use his time magic to keep Viren alive, because they weren't connected to anyone here except Titania who was not bound by time. They could have a quiet eternity, here, and be happy after a fashion.

But even if Viren cared enough to free him and they were together in Katolis... Viren was already old, and would die in less than fifty years. And Aaravos would not be able to use his time magic without Viren having to watch his children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren grow old and die while he still lived, which he was sure Viren would not want.

It was all so _unfair_.

For a little while, Aaravos had let himself entertain the fantasy that this would be their whole life, together on the island for all eternity. The elf hadn't wanted to think about Viren's other life, since he had long since given up on his own. But he could not hold Viren here against his will, and... he knew that Viren would choose his family.

And Aaravos wept, knowing that this destined love of his had been doomed from the start.

**Author's Note:**

> OH THE AAAAAANNNNNNNGGGGGSSSSSSSSSTTTTT. Aaravos, bb, I'm sorry... T_T
> 
> *flops* I have not written this much, this quickly, ever in my life. I legitimately don't know what's happening.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading~


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